The present invention relates in general to containers for gasoline or other inflammable volatile liquids and more particularly to reversible pouring spouts therefor.
Containers for gasoline and the like are often provided with a flexible spout to aid in pouring the contents of the container into an automobile fuel tank, a mower, etc. It is necessary that during storage these containers be reliably sealed so that their volatile contents will not spill out. It is also desirable that during periods of storage, the spout be kept out of the way and yet be readily accessible for the next pouring operation. However, in accomplishing these objectives, the container and spout structure must be inexpensive and simple to manufacture as well as durable.
There have been a wide variety of prior art reversible spout and container closures. For example, Martin, U.S. Pat. No. 3,958,729, shows a container with a reversible pouring spout threaded at both ends, having a closed end and an open end and having a side opening spaced from the closed end. Gersten, U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,185,361, 2,974,836, and 2,904,232, shows several variations of containers having reversible pouring spouts. The '361 patent requires the removal of a closure disk for each pouring operation and its reinsertion in the screw cap prior to closure. The '232 patent requires a container having two threaded screw caps and neck structure and the necessity of moving the pour spout from one threaded neck structure to the other for operation. The '836 patent shows a complicated double shell screw cap arrangement as does Dohrmann, U.S. Pat. No. 1,761,072. Lindsay, U.S. Pat. No. 1,374,932, shows a pour spout with a hollow plug therein which when screwed into place seals the contents of a container and when partially loosened permits liquid to flow out of the container from the spout.